63U.7 

In2b 

no.  49 
cop.jfc^ 


UNIVERSITY  OF 
ILLINOIS  LIBRARY 
AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 

AGRICULTURE 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/sugarbeets4918hust 


PURDUE  UNIVERSITY 


JNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

AGRICULTURE  LIBRARY 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


Bulletin  No.  49.  Vol.  V.  March,  1894. 


SUGAR  BEETS. 


Issued  March  8,  1894-. 


Published  Dy  me  station: 
LAFAYETTE,  INI) 
U.  S.  A. 


BOARD  OF  GONTROL 


James  H.  Smart,  DD.  D.,  President  of  the.University. 
Charges  B.  Stuart,  (President)  - 

William  A.  Banks 

Sylvester  Johnson  

David  E.  Beem  ------- 

Jasper  N.  Davidson 

Jasper  M.  Dresser*  ------- 


Da  Payette. 

DaPorte. 

Irvington. 

Spencer. 

Whitesville. 

Da  Payette 


STATION  STAFF. 


Charles  S.  Plumb,  B.  S. 
William  C.  Datta,  M.  S. 

James  Troop,  M.  S. 

Henry  A.  Huston,  A.  M.,  A.  C. 
Joseph  C.  Arthur,  D.  Sc. 
Arvill  W.  Bitting,  B.  S. 
George  R.  Ives,  B.  S. 

S.  Grant  Wright,  M.  S. 
William  Brady,  B.  S.,  A.  C.f 


Director. 

Agriculturist. 

Horticulturist. 

Chemist, 

Botanist. 
Veterinarian. 
Ass’t  agriculturist. 
Ass't  botauist. 
Ass’t  chemist. 


The  Station  will  take  pleasure  in  sending:  its  publications  free  to  all  citizens  of  the 
State  who  may  be  interested  in  them. 

Jf  you  receive  this  bulletin,  please  acknowledge  it. 

Address:  Director  Experiment  Station, 

Purdue  University, 

DaPayette,  Ind. 


BULLETINS  OF  1894  ISSUED  TO  DATE. 

No.  48.  Experiments  with  small  fruits. 

No.  49.  Sugar  beets. 


♦Died  Feb.  25,  1894. 
tResigned  March  1. 


l7 


SUGAR  BEETS. 

liY  H.  A.  HUSTON. 

Various  attempts  have  been  made  to  establish  the  sugar  beet 
industry  in  America.  A trial  in  Pennsylvania  in  1830  and  one  in 
Massachusetts  in  1838-1839,  completed  the  record  up  to  1863.  In 
that  year  a factory  was  established  at  Chatsworth,  111.  After  this 
location  had  been  tried  with  poor  results  for  six  years,  the  factory 
was  removed  to  Freeport,  111.,  and  one  year  later  to  Black  Hawk, 
Wis.,  where  the  enterprise  again  failed.  Other  attempts  were  made 
between  1870  and  1890  in  Wisconsin,  California,  New  Jersey,  Massa- 
chusetts, Canada  and  Maine  * While  these  enterprises  resulted  in 
failure,  the  lessons  to  be  drawn  from  their  history  are  of  the  highest 
value;  for  the  causes  of  failure  are  plain,  and  maybe  included  under 
unfavorable  soil  conditions,  bad  water  supply,  unsuitable  climatic 
conditions  and  poor  business  management. 

In  1879  Mr.  ID.  H.  Dyer,  of  Alvarado,  Cal.,  who  had  been  inter- 
ested in  the  unprofitable  attempt  made  there  to  manufacture  beet 
sugar,  organized  a company  to  manufacture  beet  sugar,  using  the 
same  buildings  and  ground  used  by  the  old  company.  This  com- 
pany has  been  successful  from  the  start  and  is  still  manufacturing 
large  quantities  of  sugar.  Other  factories  have  been  built  at  Wat- 
sonville, Cal.,  Chino,  Cal..  Grand  Island,  Neb.,  Norfolk,  Neb.,  and 
Lehi,  Utah,  and  all  these  factories  are  meeting  with  good  success. 

It  is  important  to  note  that  the  early  attempts  to  establish  fac- 
tories were  made  without  first  finding  out  whether  beets  of  satis- 
factory quality  could  be  grown  at  the  points  where  the  factories 
were  built,  while  the  factories  now  in  successful  operation  were 
located  at  points  where  field  trials  showed  that  good  beets  could  be 
raised. 

These  factories  produced  during  the  year  ending  June  30,  1893, 
27,083,288  pounds  of  sugar,  an  increase  of  15,078,450  pounds  over 
their  production  for  the  previous  year.f  This  sugar  was  made  from 
128,887  tons  of  beets  raised  on  13,128  acres  of  land.  Returns  for  the 
crops  raised  in  1893  are  not  yet  available,  but  there  were  reported 
under  cultivation  in  beets  24,793  acres  from  whi<bh  it  was  proposed 

*An  interesting  account  of  this  early  work  and  the  causes  of  its  failure  may  he 
found  in  Dr.  W.  H.  Wiley’s  Bulletin  No.  27,  Chemical  Division,  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture,  1890. 

tReport  Commissioner  Internal  Revenue  for  fiscal  year  ending  June  30, 1898,  on 
the  Bounty  on  Sugar. 


i8 


to  make  57,200,000  pounds  of  sugar.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  increase 
during  the  past  three  years  is  very  rapid,  an  indication  that  those 
engaged  in  raising  sugar  beets  find  the  business  profitable.  The 
final  success  of  the  sugar  beet  industry  in  California  and  its  success 
from  the  start  in  Nebraska  and  Utah,  has  aroused  new  interest  in 
the  subject,  and  field  experiments  have  been  undertaken  in  nearly 
every  northern  state  for  the  purpose  of  testing  the  adaptability  of 
their  soils  and  climate  for  sugar  beet  culture. 

In  view  of  this  renewed  interest  in  the  subject,  it  may  be  well 
to  summarize  the  conditions  required  for  success  in  the  sugar  beet 
industry. 

AGRICULTURAL  CONDITIONS. 

Climatic  conditions  have  always  held  a leading  place  in  deciding 
on  the  location  of  beet  sugar  factories.  The  usual  standard  for 
temperature  is,  that  the  average  temperature  of  the  three  summer 
months  should  not  exceed  70  degrees  Fahrenheit.  A belt  one  hun- 
dred miles  wide  on  each  side  of  a line  passing  through  the  points 
having  a mean  summer  temperature  of  70  degrees  was  supposed  to 
practically  include  the  sugar  beet  belt.  This  belt  as  originally 
laid  down  included  the  northern  half  of  Indiana,  and  gave  a nearly 
straight  line  across  the  state;  while  the  line  drawn  by  using  the  data 
of  the  Indiana  Weather  Service  from  all  available  points  in  the  state 
has  a totally  different  form,  the  line  making  a very  marked  bend  to 
the  north.  (See  fig.  1,  page  19.)  The  temperatures  of  September, 
October  and  November  are  also  important  factors. 

The  rainfall  is  a most  important  element  in  the  case.  Fnough 
rain  is  required  in  April  and  May  to  insure  proper  germination  of 
the  seed.  The  summer  rainfall  must  be  enough  to  maintain  the 
steady  growth  of  the  plants.  A rainfall  that  will  carry  the  corn 
crop  through  the  summer  in  a satisfactory  condition  will  provide  for 
proper  growth  of  beets.  The  beets  should  show  sig'ns  of  maturity 
here  about  the  middle  of  October,  and  a small  rainfall  in  October 
and  November  favors  the  ripening  of  the  beet  and  its  richness  in 
sugar  and  the  purity  of  its  juice.  A warm,  moist  autumn  tends  to 
produce  a second  growth  of  the  beet,  which  results  in  a reduction  of 
the  purity  of  the  juice. 

The  following  table,  compiled  from  the  records  of  the  Indiana 
Weather  Service,  gives  the  average  temperature  and  rainfall  of  the 
three  sections  of  the  state: 


19 


Kig.  l.  Lines  of  equal  temperature  for  June,  July  and  August.  Mean  temperature. 


20 


TABLE  I. 


Mean  temperature. 

Degrees  Fahrenheit. 

Location 

Jan 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr. 

May 

.Tune 

July. 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct 

Nov. 

Dec. 

Northern  counties  .. 

22.9 

27.4 

34  2 

49  7 

59  6 

70.6 

73  9 

70.4 

64  3 

50.9 

38  3 

30.7 

Central  “ 

25  8 

30.8 

35.9 

51.7 

61  4 

71.9 

74  9 

70  9 

65  5 

51.9 

40.0 

32  7 

Southern  “ 

29  7 

34.(5 

40  8 

55.2 

63  4 

73.5 

'73  8 

(57  0 

54.4 

43.2 

35.7 

Rainfall,  inches. 

Northern  counties.. . 

2.52 

2.90 

1 2.52 

3.24 

4 79 

4.15 

2.86 

2 75 

3.14 

2.16 

3 39 

| 2.47 

Central 

1 3 25 

3 43 

2.77 

! 3.86 

4.31 

4 04 

2.88 

[ 3 41 

3 29 

1 2.08 

3.69 

1 2.88 

Southern  “ 

3.78 

4 48 

3 62 

4.39 

4.09 

! 4.33 

3.20 

j 3.91 

3 60 

2 25 

4.35 

3.15 

While  this  table  gives  a general  view  of  the  climate  in  the  three 
sections  of  the  state,  the  division  is  purely  arbitrary,  and  there  are 
as  wide  variations  in  temperature  between  different  counties  in  the 
same  section  as  between  different  sections.  This  is  due  to  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Ohio  and  Wabash  valleys  on  one  side  and  to  the  great 
lakes  and  the  lower  Michigan  peninsula  on  the  other.  From  this 
peculiar  combination  it  results  that  Togansport,  Indianapolis  and 
Vevay  (at  the  extreme  south-eastern  point  of  the  state)  have  the 
same  mean  temperature  for  July  as  shown  by  the  records  extending 
from  22  to  38  years.  For  the  three  summer  months  the  mean  tem- 
perature of  the  northern  section  is  71.6  degrees,  of  the  central  72.5 
degrees,  and  for  the  southern  74.3  degrees.  The  mean  annual  rain- 
fall for  the  northern  section  is  37.1  inches,  for  the  central  39.7  inches 
and  for  tke  southern  45.0  inches.  This  excess  for  the  southern 
counties  is  distributed  over  every  month  of  the  year  except  May. 
In  May  the  rainfall  is  greatest  in  the  northern  counties,  but  the 
amount  in  all  sections  is  ample  for  crop  purposes.  So  far  as  the 
beet  crop  is  concerned,  the  higher  rainfall  in  the  southern  sections 
during  July,  August  and  September  would  more  than  compensate 
for  the  somewhat  higher  temperature,  while  the  lower  rainfall  of 
October  in  all  sections  is  favorable  to  the  ripening  and  harvesting  of 
the  crop.  The  temperature  of  the  winter  months  in  the  central  and 
southern  sections  is  favorable  to  continuing  the  manufacture  of 
sugar  after  the  beets  are  harvested. 

Soil — Moderately  light  sandy  loam  is  the  soil  generally  considered 
best  for  beets.  Heavy  clay  does  not  permit  the  tap  root  to  pen- 
etrate the  subsoil.  Muck  lands  give  badly  formed  beets  with  impure 
juices,  owing  to  excess  of  nitrogen  compounds  and  poor  drainage. 
Good  results  are  most  likely  to  be  obtained  on  lands  that  have  been 
under  cultivation  for  ten  years  or  more  and  which  give  good  crops 
of  corn  and  wheat.  The  black  prairie  soils  which  have  not  yet 
been  reduced  to  good  condition  for  wheat  are  not  desirable  for  beets 
since  they  contain  too  much  soluble  mineral  matter  and  nitrogenous 
material  and  produce  a rank  growth  of  beets  with  impure  juice. 


21 


A deep  soil  that  can  be  put  into  a mellow  condition  by  deep 
plowing-  and  subsoiling-  is  most  likely  to  gave  g-ood  returns. 

If  the  land  is  thoug-ht  to  be  in  need  of  manure  it  will  be  best  to 
apply  a heavy  dressing-  of  barnyard  manure  to  the  previous  crop 
rather  than  apply  it  to  the  beet  crop.  But  when  this  is  impractica- 
ble the  manure  should  be  applied  in  the  fall  and  plowed  under.  If 
commercial  fertilizers  are  to  be  used  phosphates  seem  to  claim  the 
first  place,  and  for  nitrog-en  compounds  nitrate  of  soda  is  most  desi- 
rable, but  the  amount  per  acre  should  not  exceed  three  hundred 
pounds.  Both  should  be  applied  before  seeding-.  Bater  applica- 
tions of  nitrate  of  soda  prolong-  the  growth  of  the  plant  and  delay 
ripening-.  There  is  no  doubt  but  there  are  extensive  areas  of  land 
well  adapted  to  sugar  beet  culture  to  be  found  in  all  sections  of  the 
state. 


FACTORY  REQUIREMENTS. 

Of  course  the  most  prominent  of  these  is  a supply  of  beets. 
This  must  depend  on  suitable  soil  and  climatic  conditions,  and  then 
on  an  inclination  on  the  part  of  farmers  to  furnish  beets  to  the  fac- 
tory. The  kind  of  farming  required  to  produce  good  crops  of  beets 
is  very  different  from  the  kind  now  in  vogue  in  producing  wheat  and 
corn.  But  the  very  rapid  increase  in  acreage  of  beets  in  the  terri- 
tory near  the  present  factories  would  indicate  that  farmers  had 
found  beet  raising  more  profitable  than  grain  raising. 

Factories  need  large  quantities  of  water  of  good  quality  for 
steam  making  and  extracting  ot  sugar  from  the  beets.  Barge 
quantities  of  limestone  are  used  in  the  process  of  sugar  manufac- 
ture and  the  consumption  of  fuel  is  large.  The  Norfolk  (Neb.) 
News  states  that  up  to  December  1st  the  Norfolk  factory  had  paid 
$31,000  for  freight  on  coal. 

Indiana  can  furnish  an  abundance  of  cheap  fuel,  coal,  gas  or  oil; 
its  waters  are  of  suitable  quality  and  it  has  abundance  of  limestone. 
Markets  are  close  at  hand  and  transportation  facilities  abundant. 
The  Norfolk  News , under  date  of  December  27,  1893,  in  speaking  of 
the  beet  industry,  says,  “The  beet  sugar  factory  up  to  the  present 
time  has  turned  out  nearly  4,000,000  pounds  of  fine  granulated  sugar 
—double  the  amount  produced  last  year.  This  sugar  was  all  man- 
ufactured from  this  year’s  crop  of  beets  and  does  not  include  sugar 
made  from  the  syrup  that  the  factory  is  now  working  up.  When 
the  syrup  on  hand  is  reduced,  the  output  of  the  factory  for  the  cam- 
paign will  amount  to  considerably  more  than  4,000,000  pounds. 

“This  industry  is  only  three  years  old,  but  if  it  increases  in  the 
next  three  years  in  the  same  proportion  it  has  in  the  past,  it  will  be 


22 


necessary  to  enlarge  the  capacity  of  the  factory  in  order  to  handle 
the  supply  of  beets.  * * * The  success  of  the  beet  culture,  the 

enormity  of  the  crop  and  the  price  paid  for  beets  at  the  factory 
demonstrates  that  there  is  more  money — a greater  profit  to  the  far- 
mer— in  one  acre  of  beets  than  in  six  to  seven  acres  of  corn.  Many 
farmers  around  Norfolk  realized  a profit  of  from  $25  to  $55  per  acre 
on  their  beet  crop  this  year,  and  some  report  the  amount  even  higher. 
When  a man  puts  in  an  acre  of  beets  the  factory  contracts  for  the 
entire  crop  when  it  is  sown,  agreeing  to  pay  $5  per  ton.” 

A factory  for  the  manufacture  of  beet  sugar,  capable  of  hand- 
ling 350  tons  of  beets  per  day,  would  cost  about  $400,000,  and  ought 
to  receive  the  beets  from  2,500  to  3,000  acres.  The  beets  should 
contain  not  less  than  12  per  cent,  of  sugar. 

METHOD  OF  RAISING  BEETS. 

Plowing.— It  is  of  the  highest  importance  that  the  land  intended 
for  beets  should  be  plowed  deeply  enough  to  allow  the  beet 
to  develop  its  normal  shape  and  still  not  protrude  above  the 
ground.  Where  the  subsoil  is  not  very  light  it  is  necessary  to 
stir  the  ground  to  a depth  of  fifteen  inches.  The  best  way  to 
accomplish  this  is  to  plow  the  land  six  to  eight  inches  deep  with  an 
ordinary  plow.  It  is  not  desirable  to  turn  up  a thick  layer  of  sub- 
soil that  has  not  been  disturbed  before.  The  ordinary  plow  should 
be  followed  by  a subsoil  plow  working  in  the  furrow  and  loosening 
the  soil  seven  to  nine  inches  below  the  bottom  of  the  furrow.  As 
some  misunderstanding  exists  regarding  the  subsoil  plow,  a figure 
is  here  given  of  one  of  the  most  satisfactory  forms.  (Fig.  2.)  It 


23 


does  not  turn  the  soil,  but  loosens  it.  It  does  not  bring’  a heavy  layer 
of  raw  subsoil  to  the  surface  but  leaves  the  subsoil  in  position,  but  in 
such  a condition  that  air  and  water  readily  penetrate  it,  and  the  tap 
root  of  the  beet  can  easily  make  the  required  downward  growth. 
It  is  essential  that  the  soil  be  so  prepared  that  this  downward 
growth  can  take  place,  for  otherwise  the  beet  root  will  extend  above 
the  ground;  and  all  that  part  of  the  root  above  ground  is  worthless 
for  sugar  making,  and  must  be  removed  when  the  beets  are  topped. 

It  is  generally  recommended  that  this  plowing  should  take  place 
in  the  fall.  This  is  especially  necessary  if  stable  manure  is  to  be 
applied.  If  stable  manure  be  applied  in  the  spring  it  usually  causes 
a rank  growth  of  beets  which  have  a low  sugar  content  and  impure 
juices,  owing  to  delay  in  ripening.  Even  when  stable  manure  is 
applied  in  the  fall  it  should  be  well  rotted. 

Tittle  has  been  done  in  America  in  experimenting  with  commer- 
cial fertilizers  on  beets.  Such  experimental  facts  as  have  come 
under  my  observation  seem  to  indicate  that  the  results  obtained  did 
not  justify  the  cost  involved.  Yet  the  question  is  a local  one  de- 
pending on  the  nature  and  present  fertility  of  each  soil  and  on  the 
amount  and  distribution  of  the  rainfall. 

Seeding. — The  land  should  be  harrowed  deeply  in  the  spring  and 
a thoroughly  prepared  seed-bed  made  as  soon  as  the  condition  of 
the  ground  will  permit.  For  this  state  the  planting  time  should  be 
from  April  1st  to  May  15tli.  The  rows  should  be  from  18  to  24 
inches  apart,  according  to  the  richness  of  the  soil.  The  richer  the 
soil  is  the  closer  the  rows  should  be.  This  closeness  of  the  rows  on 
rich  soils  will  prevent  the  growth  of  large  beets  containing  little 
sugar. 

Fifteen  pounds  of  seed  to  the  acre  is  a fair  amount.  On  the 
Station  farm  the  seed  was  drilled  in  with  a Planet  Jr.  hand  drill. 
The  ground  should  be  given  fiat  cultivation  to  keep  down  weeds 
until  the  plants  have  developed  four  leaves. 

Thinning  and  cultivation —When  the  plants  have  developed  four 
leaves  they  should  be  thinned  out  so  as  to  stand  six  or  eight  inches 
apart  in  the  rows.  This  should  be  understood  to  be  the  average 
distance  between  the  plants.  The  most  vigorous  plants  should  be 


24 

left,  even  if  the  distribution  in  the  rows  is  somewhat  uneven.  This 
work  of  thinning-  requires  care  and  considerable  hand  work  and  is 
the  work  that  is  most  objected  to  on  the  part  of  farmers.  By  using 
a hoe  with  a blade  four  inches  wide  much  time  was  saved  in  thinning 
plants  on  the  Station  plats.  Cuts  across  the  row  were  made  every 
six  inches  with  the  hoe  and  the  remainder  of  the  work  of  removing 
weeds  and  unnecessary  beet  plants  done  by  hand. 

After  thinning,  the  ground  should  be  cultivated  often  enough  to 
keep  down  weeds  and  maintain  a mulch  of  loose  earth,  until  the 
plants  are  large  enough  to  shade  the  ground  well.  At  the  last  cul- 
tivation it  may  be  well  to  throw  the  earth  toward  the  rows  if  the 
roots  exhibit  a tendency  to  extend  above  the  ground. 

Harvesting. — Two  methods  of  harvesting  beets  are  used.  In  one 
the  tops  and  crowns  of  the  beet  are  first  removed  by  a sharp  hoe  of 
special  construction,  and  then  the  roots  are  removed  from  the 
ground  by  plowing  out,  or  by  pulling  or  by  a special  tool  drawn  by 
horses,  constructed  somewhat  on  the  principle  of  a potato  digger. 
In  the  other  method  the  roots  are  first  removed  from  the  ground  and 
the  crowns  and  tops  removed  by  a heavy  knife. 

It  is  generally  stated  that  the  beets  are  ready  for  the  harvest 
when  the  leaves  change  in  color  from  the  dark  green  to  a yellowish 
green,  and  the  outer  circles  of  leaves  bend  down  forming  a ri  ng  of 
leaves  about  the  beet.  Although  beets  have  been  left  in  the  ground 
until  the  end  of  December,  I have  never  seen  them  exhibit  these 
signs  of  ripeness,  and  the  amount  of  sugar  in  the  beet  is  the  better 
guide.  I would  not  advise  harvesting  before  November  1st.  Tables 
showing  the  condition  of  beets  at  different  dates  will  be  given 
later  on. 

Special  tools.— Special  tools  have  been  devised  for  nearly  every 
operation  involved  in  raising  beets.  The  only  ones  that  are  neces- 
sary for  experimental  work,  involving  from  one  to  five  acres  of  beets, 
are  the  subsoil  plow,  the  usual  selling  price  of  which  is  $13,  and  a 
good  hand  drill  to  plant  the  seed.  Both  of  these  implements  are 
of  value  for  use  oil  other  crops.  Reports  from  California  indicate 
that  the  removal  of  the  beets  from  the  ground  by  horse  power  is 
successful. 

Size  and  yield. — It  is  not  desirable  to  raise  large  beets.  Those 


25 


weighing  from  one  to  two  pounds  are  considered  best  for  sugar 
making,  and  factories  generally  refuse  to  take  beets  weighing  over 
four  pounds.  The  reason  of  this  is  that  very  large  beets  contain 
relatively  little  sugar  and  a relatively  large  amount  of  soluble  matter 
not  sugar,  which  makes  the  extraction  of  the  sugar  from  such  beets 
unprofitable.  The  size  of  the  beets  is  kept  down  by  thick  planting. 
The  average  yield  per  acre  for  California,  Nebraska  and  Utah  in 
1892  was  9.8  tons  of  topped  beets  per  acre,  10.5  in  California.  9.0  in 
Utah  and  7.8  in  Nebraska.  The  season  in  Nebraska  was  unusually 
dry,  which  in  part  accounts  for  the  light  yield  there.  Prom  the 
tonnage  per  acre  it  would  appear  that  the  average  weight  of  the 
beets  are  only  about  one-half  pound.  Small  beets,  however,  are 
richer  in  sugar  than  large  ones,  as  is  shown  in  fig.  3,  page  26, 
and  in  this  respect  the  beet  crop  has  an  advantage  over  most  other 
crops.  For,  while  a short  corn  crop  due  to  drought  gives  corn  of 
poor  quality,  a short  beet  crop  due  to  the  same  cause  will  give 
beets  of  better  quality  for  which  an  increased  price  may  be  ob- 
tained. 

Side  products. — The  crowns  and  tops  of  the  beets  have  a high 
feeding  value  for  stock.  After  the  sugar  is  extracted  from  the 
sliced  beet  there  remains  a pulp  which  was  formerly  used  for  fertil- 
izing purposes,  but  which  is  now  used  to  feed  large  herds  of  cattle 
kept  near  the  factories.  The  lime  refuse  from  the  factories  is  also 
used  as  a fertilizer,  although  its  usefulness  must  depend  largely  on 
the  physical  condition  of  the  land. 

Indirect  advantages.— The  culture  of  the  sugar  beet  cannot  be 
carried  on’continuously  on  the  same  land,  but  the  beet  crop  must 
be  one  of  a series  of  crops  in  a rotation.  The  benefits  of  a system 
of  crop  rotation  are  becoming  so  well  known  as  to  require  no  fur- 
ther notice  here.  The  subsoiling  and  special  cultivation  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  beet  crop  extend  their  benefits  over  the  whole 
rotation,  and  in  countries  where  the  beet  industry  has  been  estab- 
lished the  crop-producing  power  of  the  soil  has  been  notably  in- 
creased without  the  use  of  additional  quantities  of  manures.  This 
effect  of  deep  tillage  will  be  especially  noticeable  on  lands  that  have 
been  long  used  for  corn  and  wheat  and  have  received  the  customary 
shallow  plowing.  The  observations  on  increased  crop  following 


2 6 


PuftntfE  Univ.  Exper.  Rta..  Bull.  40. 


15  Large  beets. 
Weight  40  lbs. 
Contain  4lbs.  4oz. 
of  sugar. 


39  Medium  beets. 
Weight  40  lbs. 
Contain  41bs.  14oz. 
of  sugar. 


96  Small  beets. 
Weight  40  lbs. 
Contain  Slbs.  lOoz. 
of  sugar. 


27 


beet  culture  relate  principally  to  the  wheat  crop.  Experiments 
conducted  in  Indiana  on  deep  plowing-  for  corn  show  that  it  produces 
a marked  increase  in  crop,  although  the  increase  may  not  appear 
until  one  winter  has  passed  after  the  deep  plowing. 


RESULTS  IN  INDIANA  DURING  1893. 

The  season. — The  conditions  of  the  weather  were  unusual  and  in 
most  sections  of  the  state  very  unfavorable.  The  following  table 
gives  the  average  weather  conditions  of  the  state  for  twelve  years 
for  the  growing  season,  the  conditions  during  1893  and  the  depart- 
ure from  the  average: 


TABLE  II. 


TEMPERATURE. 

RAINFALL. 

1893.  1893. 

1893. 

1893. 

Months. 

Aver’  gel  1893. 

Above  Below 

Aver’ge 

1893 

Above 

I Below 

average  average 

average 

average 

April 

. . . 52.2  52. 4 

0.2  ... 

~3~82~ 

~8~46~ 

4.64 

May 

. . . 61.4  60.0 

...  ! 1.4 

4.40 

4.46 

.06 

June 

...  71.9  171.9 

0 I 0 

4.25 

3.45 

o.’so 

July 

...  74. 6 '77.9 

3 . ^ 

3.13 

1.83 

1.30 

August. 

...  71.5  72.3 

0.8  | ... 

3.08 

1.02 

2.06 

September  . 

. . . 64.9  68.2 

3.3 

3.13 

3.31 

6:  is 

October.  . . 

. ...  53.2  154.4 

1.2  ... 

2.55 

3.53 

0.79 

November. 

. . . . 40  9 40.2 

...  0.7 

3.82 

2.99 

0.83 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  temperature  for  July,  August.  Sep- 
tember and  October  was  unusually  high;  the  high  temperature  and 
excessive  rainfall  of  October  were  especially  bad,  as  they  caused 
a second  growth  of  the  beet  and  prevented  ripening  and  storing  up 
of  sugar.  The  rainfall  in  April  was  the  highest  on  record  for  forty 
years,  while  the  very  low  rainfall  of  June,  July  and  August  did 
serious  damage  to  all  crops.  The  August  rainfall  in  northern  coun- 
ties is  the  lowest  on  record;  in  the  central  and  southern  couties  the 
lowest  occurred  in  1889. 

November  was  favorable  to  the  ripening  of  the  crop  for  the  first 
two  weeks,  but  the  last  half  of  the  month  was  unusually  cold  and 
in  the  central  and  northern  counties  beets  could  not  be  left  in  the 
ground  after  the  fifteenth,  althongh  in  ordinary  years  they  would 
be  safe  from  frost  until  the  end  of  the  month, 


TABLE  III— RESULTS  OF  ANALYSES  OF  SU( 


NAME. 

Post  Office. 

County. 

Variety. 

Porter 

Kleinwanzleben 

Furnessville  . _ 

44 

Kn  a.ner  

<( 

J II.  Little 

Lake 

Kleinwanzleben 

Kosciusko. . . . 

Kleinwanzleben 

W.  J.  Hand 

Marshall 

Knauer 

Desprez 

M.  A.  Eisenhorn  . . . 
A.  M.  Taylor 

In  wood 

Allen 

Vilmorin..  . ..  — 

Kleinwanzleben 

A M.  Taylor 

Thurman.  . .. 
Fort  Wayne 
Liberty  Centre 
Treaty.... 
Lincolnville. . . . 

Allen 

Kleinwanzleben 

John  Sprankle  ... 
H.  V.  L.  Garrett.  . 

Knauer . 

Wells 

Kleinwanzleben  

Wa.ba.sh. 

K n a.ner 

John  Kulb  . . 

Vilmorin 

Lewis  C.  Sheppard. 
Snead  Thomas 

| Carl  ns  City 

Randolph 

Knauer  . . 

j Marion 

Grant 

Kleinwanzleben 

M.  M.  Moody  . 

Sftlmfl,. . . 

Dela.wa.re. . . . 

Desprez 

W.  P.  Gates  

New  Lancester. 

S h arpsvil  Ip 

Tipton  

Kleinwanzleben 

W.  A.  Maze  

Vilmorin 

E M Smalley  . . 

Shannondale.  . . 
Irvington 

Montgomery  . 

Marion 

Shelby 

Kleinwanzleben 

J.  G.  Kingsbury.. 
C.  F.  Muth 

Morristown 

a 

T.  J.  Moss 

Ash  boro 

Clay ... 

iFra.nklin  .... 

Vilmorin 

A.  W,  Butler  .... 
A.  W.  Butler 

I Brook  vi lie 

Kleinwanzleben 

Fran  klin 

Kleinwanzleben 

C.  D.  Faris 

Bloomington . . . 
Lawrenceburg. 

Patriot 

( Madison 

| Monroe 

H.  S.  Nowlin 

Will  Bunger 

Dearborn  

iSwitzerland... 

Vilmorin 

17  M,  K te wart 

I.Tpft'prson  . 

44 

E.  W.  Fisher 

[Cory don  .. 

Harrison 

>4 

Agr.  Exp.  Station.. 

LaFayette 

Tippecanoe.  ( 
1 1 
1 

Bul.  Desprez  Richest.. 

F.  Desprez  Richest 

Kleinwanzleben 

S.  LeGrand  Im.  White 
Vilmorin 

i 

| 

1 mperial 

l 

Red  Top  

Knauer 

V ilmorin  . . . 

Kleinwanzleben  

Knauer. 

Desprez 

Vilmorin 

Knauer 

Desnrez 

Klein  wanzlehen 

Aver- 

age 

weight 

oz. 

Deg. 

Brix. 

Per 
cent, 
sugar 
in  juice 

Purity, 

33.3 

17.2 

13.9 

81.9 

28.1 

14  1 

10.5 

74.4 

12.4 

14.3 

12.3 

86.0 

13.2 

13.4 

10.5 

78.3 

7.6 

17.6 

13.0 

73.9 

15.3 

15  6 

12.2 

78.2 

17.7 

16  2 

12.3 

75.9 

13.3 

15.7 

l2. 1 

77.1 

6.4 

| 15.4 

13.2 

85.1 

14  6 

16.8 

13.0 

77.4 

15.8 

17.5 

13.7 

78.3 

23.9 

13.2 

10  2 

77.3 

20.2 

14.1 

10.1 

71.6 

4.4 

14.7 

10.8 

73.9 

7.9 

16.7 

12.1 

72.4 

16.5 

14.5 

12.0 

82.4 

9 4 

17.0 

14.4 

84.7 

15.0 

12  4 

9.6 

77.4 

5.8 

15.8 

12.3 

77.8 

18  5 

14.2 

11.5 

80.9 

12.7 

15.9 

11.9 

74.8 

16.6 

21.1 

16.6 

78.8 

10  2 

16.4 

12.2 

74.4 

21.7 

13.4 

9.1 

67  9 

11  6 

16.1 

12.1 

75.1 

18.0 

14.2 

10  4 

73.2 

18.5 

17.2 

14.6 

84.9 

8. 

15.6 

12.7 

81.4 

25  6 

16.4 

13.5 

82.3 

15.3 

15.2 

11.5 

75.7 

7.1 

13.1 

8.5 

64.9 

7 3 

15.4 

12  2 

78.0 

7.0 

16.8 

14.8 

88.1 

6.6 

15.1 

12.1 

80.1 

4.9 

15.6 

13.6 

87.1 

6.0 

15.6 

13.2 

84.6 

5.4 

14.0 

12.3 

87  9 

7.6 

14.8 

12.6 

85.1 

6.6 

i4.8 

10.5 

69.9 

3.  .6 

16.3 

14  4 

88.3 

3.6 

16.5 

14.2 

86.0 

6.2 

16.7 

14  0 

84.1 

6 9 

15.8 

13.1 

82.9 

6.5 

16. 7 

13.7 

82.3 

6 4 

17.4 

14.2 

81.6 

6.7 

16.7 

14.2 

85.0 

8.0 

16.3 

12.5 

76.7 

5.7 

16.0 

12.8 

80.0 

6.9 

16.6 

12  9 

77  7 

Lig! 

San 


Bla 


San 

Gar 


Mu< 

Dai 

Bla 

Cla; 

Lig! 

Cla; 

Loa 

Bla.' 

Met 

San 


San 

Cla; 

Loo 

Bla' 

Lig  I 
Ligl 


\R  BEETS,  RAISED  IN  INDIANA  DURING  1893 


Kind  of  soil. 

Tons 

per 

acre. 

Depth 

plow- 

ing-, 

in. 

Dis- 

tance 

bet. 

rows, 

in. 

Date  of 
planting- 

Date  of 
harvest. 

Per 

cent. 

scab. 

Pcrc’t. 

bacter- 

ial. 

disease 

Previous  crops. 

21 

8 

18 

May  8 

Oct.  17 

30 

0 

Corn 

6 

18 

6 

•*  23 

50 

12 

Garden  . . 

(chip  manure). 

6 

18 

10 

10 

Uio  manure). . . 

6 

18 

“ 

20 

0 

** 

16 

8 

18 

“ 20 

Nov.  17 

20 

o 

Pasture 



Tandy  loam 

14 

8 

20 

“ 18 

Oct.  26 

0 

0 

None  

0 

20 

0 

0 

5 

10 

18 

“ 4 

Nov.  4 

33 

6 

Beets  and  Carrots 

30 

Apr.  20 

Oct.  20 

0 

0 

Beets 

8 

30 

16 

0 

Beets  

! 

11 

7 

36 

June  1 

“ 1 

0 

o 

Turnips 

16 

10 

18 

Nov.  1 

0 

o 

Potatoes 

s.andy  loam 

5 

8 

36 

May  6 

Oct.  26 

0 

20 

Rye 

11 

8 

18 

•*'  8 

“ 27 

0 

30 

Potatoes 

tandy  black  loam  — 

26 

10 

18 

“ 31 

“ 23 

40 

0 

Clover 

jam 

21 

10 

15 

“ 10 

“ 19 

25 

0 

Potatoes 

7 

9 

36 

“ 13 

16 

20 

30 

Corn  and  Melons. 

roam  

8 

23 

“ 17 

Nov.  1 

35 

0 

Corn 

in  clay 

L 27 

10 

20 

“ 20 

Oct.  17 

20 

10 

Corn 

Jloam 

18 

8 

20 

“ 20 

Nov.  7 

0 

0 

Potatoes 

100 

18 

66 

50 

0 

n 

36 

3 

“ 15 

0 

0 

Beans 

llside 

li 

36 

June  17 

“ 14 

0 

0 

Corn  . . 

dark  loam  

4 

12 

21 

May  20 

“ 2 

30 

0 

H ay 

ioam  

5 

14 

22 

“ 19 

“ 1 

0 

0 

Timothy 

28 

9 

20 

“ 15 

6 

0 

0 

Sweet  Potatoes.. 

lay  loam  

21 

9 

15 

>•  22 

“ 2 

50 

50 

Potatoes 

.lay  loam 

12 

20 

*•  20 

J 

Corn 

9 

14 

18 

Apr.  7 

“ 2 

37 

6 

Tomatoes 

8 

14 

18 

18 

4 

6 

14 

18 

28 

0 

•• 

6 

14 

18 

44 

(( 

21 

2 

6 

14 

18 

23 

0 

9 

14 

18 

44 

23 

23 

8 

T4 

18 

23 

12 

“ 

8 

14 

18 

« 

25 

5 

6 

14 

18 

** 

13 

8 

6 

14 

18 

44 

10 

5 

“ 1 

9 

14 

18 

May  4 

44 

50 

2 

Beans  

8 

14 

18 

63 

1 

Onions )■ 

7 

14 

18 

44 

31 

1 

Melons j 

8 

14 

18 

44 

44 

27 

2 

Pototoes 

5 

14 

18 

44  24 

24 

0 

8 

14 

18 

44 

26 

1 

“ 

6 

14 

18 

44 

6* 

15 

3 

14  | 

18 

12 

3 

“ 

Profit- 
able at 
$4  per 
ton? 


No 

Yes 


Remarks. 


f Injured  by  drought, 
{ blister  beetle,  and 

| second  growth. 

No  Injured  by  b lister  beetle 
No 


No 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

? 

Yes 


Injured  by  moles. 


No 


No 

Yes 


[by  blister  beetles. 
Imperfect  stand.  Injured 

Injured  by  blister  beetle 

[ed. 

Beets  considerably  wilt- 


[by  blister  beetles. 
Imp&rfeet stand.  Injured 
Injured  by  b.  b.  and  g.  h. 
injured  by  blister  beetle. 

[before  Sept.  10.. 
Beets  made  no  growth 


I Seed  raised  on  Station 
■j  farm. 


30 


Taken  altogether  a more  unfavorable  set  of  weather  conditions 
lias  not  been  experienced  for  thirty  years. 

Seed  sent  into  every  county. — Early  last  spring  the  station  fur- 
nished free  beet  seed,  of  the  best  quality,  to  167  farmers,  seed  being 
sent  to  every  county  in  the  state.  Most  of  the  parties  to  whom 
seed  was  sent  had  sent  a request  for  it;  but  in  a few  cases 
seed  was  sent  with  a request  that  the  farmers  would  raise  the  beets 
in  order  to  make  the  list  of  counties  complete. 

From  these  167  farmers  26  samples  were  received  and  21  reported 
failure,  either  from  drought  or  insect  attacks,  while  a few  did  not 
plant  the  seed  owing  to  heavy  spring  rains.  From  120  farmers  no 
reply  whatever  has  been  received  to  the  letters  asking  them  to 
report  success  or  failure.  The  sample  called  for  ten  beets  of  aver- 
age weight  of  the  crop.  The  information  called  for  appears  on 
page  31,  which  is  a reproduction  of  the  blank  sent  beet  growers. 


PURDUE  UNIVERSITY  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 
LAFAYETTE,  INI). 

FORM  FOR  DESCRIPTION  OF  SAMPLE  SUGAR  BEETS 

Laboratory  No Received  at  Laboratory 

Each  sample  of  beets  sent  for  gratuitous  examination  must  be  raised  according-  to 
directions  of  seed  package  and  must  be  accompanied  by  one  of  these  forms,  with  proper 
blanks  below  filled  out  full}’  and  legibly.  The  filled  out  form,  if  enclosed  with  the  sam- 
ple, will  serve  as  a label. 

Date  of  taking  this  sample 

Date  of  shipment 

1.  Crop  grown  on  ground  the  preceding  year  

2.  Character  of  soil 

3.  How  deep  was  the  ground  plowed?. 

4.  Exact  area  of  plot  planted 

5.  Variety  of  seed  sown 

6.  Date  of  planting  

7.  How  long  before  the  plants  came  up? 

8.  Distance  between  rows 

9.  Distance  between  beets  in  a row 

10.  When  did  yon  thin  out? 

11.  How  many  times  did  you  use  cultivator? 

12.  How  many  times  did  you  hoe? 

13..  Give  date  of  hoeing 

14.  Give  exact  area  of  plot  harvested 

15.  Number  of  pounds  of  beets  raised  on  this  plot 

16.  Number  of  beets  on  plot  harvested 

17.  What  fertilizer,  if  any,  used 

18.  Date  of  harvesting 

19.  Entire  cost 

20.  Do  you  think  from  your  experience  of  this  year  that  you  could  afford  to  grow 

beets  at  $4  per  ton? 

County Post  Office 


Sign  here 

Samples  should  be  shipped  before  November  15. 


32 

As  a rule  the  blanks  were  better  filled  out  than  in  previous 
years.  This  is  especially  true  in  regard  to  weig'ht  and  number  of 
beets  harvested,  and  to  the  area  of  the  plat. 

The  mere  analysis  of  a sample  of  beets  is  of  little  interest  or 
value  unless  the  fullest  information  in  regard  to  cultural  conditions 
and  yield  is  furnished. 

The  results  of  the  analyses  of  samples  from  all  parts  of  the 
state  are  given  in  table  III,  pages  28  and  29.  The  analyses  of  the 
beets  harvested  at  the  Station  on  November  2nd  are  also  included 
for  purposes  of  comparison. 

Explanations  and  remarks  on  table. — The  “degrees  Brix”  means  the 
reading  of  a special  instrument  for  taking  the  density  of  the  beet 
juice.  The  actual  densities  were  taken  with  a Westphal  balance 
and  calculated  to  degrees  Brix.  The  purpose  of  this  part  of  the 
work  is  to  get  the  data  for  calculating  the  relative  purity  of  the 
juice.  The  purity  of  juice  means  the  percentage  of  sugar  contained 
in  the  solids  of  the  juice.  It  is  obtained  by  multiplying  the  per- 
centage of  sugar  in  the  juice  by  100  and  dividing  by  the  degrees 
Brix.  The  degrees  Brix  are  supposed  to  represent  approximately 
the  per  cent,  of  total  solid  matter  in  the  juice.  If  all  the  solid 
matter  were  sugar  this  would  be  true.  But  where  solids  other  than 
sugar  are  present  it  is  only  approximately  true.  Hence  the  result 
in  the  purity  column  is  the  apparent  purity.  The  absolute  purity 
of  the  juice  can  only  be  found  by  drying  and  weighing  the  total 
solid  matter  of  the  juice  and  dividing  100  times  the  sugar  percentage 
by  the  percentage  of  solids  so  found.  This  is  too  tedious  for  ordi- 
nary work,  and  so  the  apparent  purity  is  used.  It  can  be  compared 
with  purity  as  usually  reported  in  other  writings. 

In  nearly  all  sections  the  growth  of  the  plants  was  suspended 
during  the  months  of  July,  August  and  the  early  part  of  September. 
When  the  rains  came  the  plants  took  on  a new  growth  which  was 
not  finished  at  the  time  when  most  of  the  samples  were  harvested. 
In  view  of  the  state  of  the  plant  at  harvest  the  amount  of  sugar  and 
purity  of  the  juice  is  better  than  was  expected.  Provided  the  beets 
are  of  fair  size,  the  higher  the  amount  of  sugar  and  the  purity  the 
better.  Beets  containing  12%  of  sugar  and  purity  of  75  can  be 
worked  at  a profit  with  the  modern  machinery.  More  than  two- 
thirds  of  the  samples  received  come  up  to  this  standard.  This 
result  is  certainly  encouraging  in  view  of  the  extremely  unfavorable 
conditions  during  the  growing  season. 

A record  of  the  amount  of  scab  and  bacterial  disease  observed 
was  kept  and  the  amounts  found  in  samples  received  were  the  same 
as  last  year.  The  previous  crop  seems  to  have  little  influence  on  the 
amount  of  scab.  On  the  Station  plats  the  amount  of  scab  was 


33 

somewhat  greater  and  the  amount  of  bacterial  disease  much  less 
than  last  year. 

In  judging1  of  the  result  the  average  weight  of  the  beets,  the 
sugar  content  and  the  purity  should  be  kept  in  view.  It  should  be 
kept  in  mind  that  the  tonnage  is  calculated  from  small  plats,  and 
so  is  only  approximate.  The  tonnage  is  also  for  beets  with  tops 
removed  but  the  crowns  not  removed.  It  was  believed  that  better 
comparative  results  could  be  secured  in  this  way  than  to  have  the 
crowns  removed  by  persons  not  accustomed  to  the  work. 

Injury  from  insects. — Much  damage  was  reported  caused  by  the 
blister  beetle  ( Epicauta  marginata,  Pabr).  Two  broods  appeared 
on  the  Station  plats  but  were  readily  destroyed  by  an  application  of 
arsenite  of  ammonia,  using  one  ounce  of  the  strong  solution  to 
three  gallons  of  water.  Probably  a more  dilute  solution  would  do 
the  work  with  less  risk  of  damage  to  the  foliage.  As  the  insects 
generally  invade  the  plat  at  one  side,  it  is  not  necessary  to  treat  the 
whole  field  of  beets,  but  only  that  part  on  which  the  insects  are 
working,  and  a narrow  belt  of  beets  lying  in  the  direction  toward 
which  the  insects  are  working.  It  is  well  to  begin  on  this  narrow 
belt  first  and  work  toward  the  part  already  affected  by  the  insects. 
In  this  way  the  insects  are  driven  backward  rather  than  toward  the 
part  of  the  field  not  yet  attacked.  Great  care  should  be  observed  in 
using  arsenite  of  ammonia.  It  is  the  most  poisonous  of  all  insecti- 
cides, since  the  arsenic  is  present  in  large  quantities  and  is  all  in 
solution. 

It  should  be  noticed  that  in  stating  whether  the  beets  could  be 
grown  at  a profit  of  $4.00  per  ton  the  grower  was  asked  to  base  his 
opinion  on  his  season's  work. 

Results  obtained  on  the  Station  farm.— The  soil  of  the  Station  farm 
is  underlaid  with  loose  gravel  to  a great  depth  and  hence  is  partic- 
ularly susceptible  to  injury  from  drought.  This  season  the  corn 
crop  of  this  farm  was  a failure,  the  yields  being  from  two  io  26 
bushels  per  acre  on  different  parts  of  the  farm.  In  a favorable 
season  the  land  will  raise  70  bushels  per  acre. 

The  weather  record  for  the  growing  season  appears  in  table  IV. 
The  average  is  derived  from  continuous  observations  for  14  years. 


34 


TABLE  IV. 


TEMPERATURE,  cle 

g.  F. 

i 

RAINFALL.  Inches. 

Months. 

Aver’ge 

1893. 

1893. 

Above 

1893. 

Below 

Aver’ge 

1893. 

1893. 

Above 

1893. 

Below 

aver  ’ge 

aver’  ge 

aver’ge 

aver’ge. 

April 

50.4 

50.3 

~o.T 

|3^86~ 

9.65 

TtT 

May 

60.7 

58.0 

2.7 

4.96 

3.03 

1.93 

June 

Julv 

70.9 

74.3 

71.6 

77.7 

0.7* 

3.4 

! 4.68 
3.38 

1.93 

1.10 

2.75 

2.28 

August 

71.8 

72.3 

0.5 

3.21 

0.77 

2.44 

September  .... 

65.0 

67.4 

2.9 

2.44- 

2.74 

0.30 

October 

51.7 

54.3 

2.6 

2.44 

1.57 

6.87 

November 

38.2 

38.5 

0.3 

3.32 

2.42 

0.90 

The  beets  made  practically  no  growth  from  July  1st  to  Septem- 
ber 25th. 

The  following  points  were  under  investigation: 

Effect  of  time  of  planting. 

Effect  of  time  of  harvest. 

Effect  of  manure. 

Sugar  contents  of  smooth  and  scabby  beets. 

Effect  of  looseyiing  beets  some  time  before  removal  from  the  ground. 

Test  of  varieties. 

Home  grown  and,  foreign  seed. 

All  the  beets  raised  were  small,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  average 
weights  given  in  table  III.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  Knauer  variety, 
which  has  in  former  years  given  the  lowest  average  weight,  gave 
the  highest  average  weight  this  year. 

Time  of  planting  and  harvest. — The  results  of  the  experiments  on 
time  of  planting  and  harvesting  appear  in  table  V,  page  35.  The 
beets  planted  on  May  24  were  badly  formed  owing  to  the  soil  having 
become  so  hard  on  account  of  drought. 

The  harvest  of  October  5th  found  the  beets  just  starting  a 
second  growth.  The  results  show  that  there  was  an  increase  in 
the  size  of  the  beet,  but  that  the  relative  amount  of  sugar  decreased 
during  October,  and  the  purity  was  reduced.  During  the  first  half 
of  November  the  beets  gained  in  size  and  in  sugar,  but  the  increase 
in  solids  not  sugar  was  also  considerable,  The  highest  purity  was 
found  at  the  first  harvest  before  the  effect  of  the  second  growth  had 
shown  itself. 


*Beets  were  scabby. 


re  3 
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cd 

r 

< 


Date  of  Harvest. 


36 


Effect  of  manure. — The  land  intended  for  beets  was  given  a light 
plowing  in  the  fall,  and  to  the  greater  part  of  it  was  applied  a 
moderate  dressing  of  barnyard  manure  containing  considerable  un- 
rotted straw.  This  manure  was  left  on  top  of  the  ground  until 
spring,  and  then  the  land  was  given  a deep  plowing  and  subsoiling, 
the  manure  being  completely  turned  under.  A strip  of  land  twenty 
feet  wide  received  no  manure,  but  was  given  the  same  plowing  as 
the  .other. 

On  the  manured  plat  the  stand  of  beets  was  perfect,  but  on  the 
plat  receiving  no  manure  the  stand  was  very  defective.  Therefore 
no  attempt  was  made  to  compare  the  yields  on  the  two  plats.  The 
plants  were  tended  alike  on  the  two  plats  and  harvested  November 
15th.  The  table  shows  the  results  obtained.  Samples  having-  the 
average  weight  were  selected  from  the  two  plats  and  the  analyses 
of  these  samples  appear  in  the  same  horizontal  line.  Owing  to  the 
very  imperfect  stand  some  of  the  beets  on  the  unmanured  plat  grew 
much  larger  than  any  of  those  on  the  manured  plat  and  the  analyses 
and  weight  of  these  are  also  given,  These  larger  beets  were  of 
desirable  market  size. 


TABLE  VI. 


VARIETY. 

Date  of 
planting' 

Av.  wt. 
OZ. 

MANURE. 

no  ; 

MANURE. 

Knauer  

Apri 

a 7 

9.7 

15. 

.9 

12. 

.9 

81. 

1 

15. 

.6 

12. 

.3 

78.8 

Knauer 

7 

16.8 

15. 

.1 

12. 

.9 

78.8 

Kleinwanzleben 

7 

6.3 

16. 

. 7 

14. 

.9 

83. 

.8 

17. 

.6 

14. 

.6 

82.9 

Kleinwanzleben 

7 

16.4 

17. 

.3 

14. 

.1 

81.5 

Vilmorin 

7 

7.1 

16. 

.1 

13. 

.5 

83. 

8 

16. 

,2 

14. 

,1 

87.0 

Vilmorin 

“ 

7 

14.4 

15. 

!8 

13. 

,0 

82.3 

Kleinwanzleben 

May 

4 

9.8 

19. 

.0 

15. 

.5 

81. 

6 

15. 

,8 

13. 

.1 

82.9 

Kleinwanzleben 

4 

15,3 

15. 

,3 

12. 

, 7 

83.0 

Vilmorin 

“ 

4 

9.5 

17. 

,7 

14. 

.1 

79. 

6 

15. 

,8 

12. 

,5 

79.1 

Vilmorin 

“ 

4 

19.6 

16. 

,3 

13. 

,2 

80.9 

Desprez  

“ 

4 

11.3 

17. 

.0 

13. 

,5 

79. 

4 

15. 

.5 

12. 

,7 

81.9 

Desprez  

“ 

4 

10.1 

15. 

9 

13. 

,6 

85.5 

Knauer 

“ 

4 

11.5 

16. 

,9 

13. 

,8 

81. 

7 

16. 

,3 

13. 

,1 

80.4 

Knauer 

“ 

4 

18.4 

15. 

1 

12. 

4 

82.1 

Desprez 

“ 

24 

10.4 

17. 

,1 

13. 

.9 

81. 

3 

17. 

1 

13. 

9 

81.3 

Desprez 

24 

6.2 

15. 

,9 

13. 

,1 

82.4 

Kleinwanzleben 

1 ‘ 

24 

7.1 

15. 

,5 

14. 

o 
, ^ 

81. 

7 

17. 

,5 

14. 

2 

81.1 

Kleinwanzleben 

“ 

24 

3.2 

18. 

,0 

14. 

, 7 

81.7 

Vilmorin 

“ 

24 

7.8 

17. 

2 

14. 

,1 

81. 

9 

16. 

6 

13. 

,6 

81.9 

Vilmorin  

“ 

24 

10.7 

16. 

,0 

13. 

,0 

81.3 

Knauer 

“ 

24 

9.7 

16. 

,6 

13. 

,2 

79. 

5 

16. 

,9 

13. 

,5 

80.0 

Knauer 

• ‘ 

24 

4.7 

16. 

,7 

13. 

,7 

82.6 

37 


While  the  comparison  between  plats  having-  a full  stand  and  those 
having  an  imperfect  stand  is  not  a fair  one,  so  far  as  we  can  observe 
from  the  results  obtained  the  purity  of  the  juice  was  not  impaired 
by  the  use  of  the  manure  applied  in  the  fall,  The  perfect  stand  is 
attributed  to  the  use  of  the  manure,  since  the  plats  received  similar 
treatment  in  every  other  respect. 

Sugar  content  of  smooth  and  scabby  beets. — The  presence  of  scab  on 
the  samples  was  so  often  noticed  that  it  was  thought  best  to  make 
analyses  of  smooth  and  scabby  beets  to  see  if  the  sugar  content 
and  the  purity  were  influenced  by  the  presence  of  the  disease.  A 
large  number  of  the  beets  planted  on  May  4th  were  harvested  on 
November  2nd,  and  from  each  of  the  varieties  samples  containing 
ten  smooth  beets  and  ten  scabby  beets  were  drawn.  Especial  care 
was  taken  to  have  the  beets  in  each  sample  of  a variety  of  similar 
weight  and  form.  The  results  appear  in  table  VII. 

TABLE  VII. 


Smooth  beets. 

SCABBY  BEETS. 

■ Variety. 

Degrees 

Brix. 

Sugar 
in  juice. 

Purity. 

Degrees 

Brix. 

lQsjS>-‘y 

Kleinwanzleben 

~T6.7 

TiTT 

~83~.ir 

U.8 

~T2.1T  tit 

Knauer 

16.0 

13.6 

85.0 

15.7 

12.7  80.9 

Vilmorin 

15.9 

12.7 

79.9 

15.9 

12.8  80.5 

Despez 

16.6 

13.6 

81.9 

16.3 

13.2  80.9 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  three  out  of  the  four  cases  the  purity 
and  sugar  contents  were  less  in  the  scabby  beets.  The  two  vari- 
eties giving  the  greatest  difference  between  smooth  and  scabby 
beets'were  the  Kleinwanzleben  and  Knauer.  Both  these  varieties 
were  badly  affected  by  scab,  50  and  63  percent,  respectively.  Hence 
no  difficulty  was  experienced  in  getting  samples  in  which  every  beet 
had  a considerable  amount  of  its  surface  covered  by  scab.  The 
Vilmorin  and  Desprez  varieties  had  only  31  and  27  per  cent,  scab 
respectively,  and  the  surfaces  of  the  individual  beets  used  were  not 
so  much  covered  with  scab.  In  fact  while  ten  beets  of  these  vari- 
eties could  be  secured  which  showed  the  presence  of  scab,  it  was  not 
possible  to  obtain  a sample  of  either  in  which  the  beets  were  as 
badly  affected  as  those  of  the  Kleinwanzleben  or  Knauer  varieties. 

It  would  seem  that  aside  from  the  difficulty  of  cleaning  scabby 
beets  there  is  a decided  disadvantage  owing  to  loss  of  sugar. 


Loosening  beets  before  harvesting. — In  1891  Prof.  H.  H.  Nicholson* 
tried  the  effect  of  loosening-  the  beets  with  a horse  beet  digger  some 
time  before  harvesting.  His  purpose  was  to  break  the  connection 
between  the  beet  and  the  ground  and  prevent  the  second  growth. 
At  the  time  the  experiment  was  made  the  ground  was  wet  from 
excessive  rains.  His  results  showed  that  the  loosened  beets  seemed 
to  retain  their  sugar,  while  the  beets  not  loosened  took  on  a second 
growth  and  the  sugar  content  and  purity  seemed  to  decrease. 

In  our  experiment  the  beets  were  loosened  on  November  13th 
and  the  beets  harvested  on  November  15th.  The  severe  weather 
beginning  on  the  15th  put  a stop  to  all  work  in  the  beet  field,  and 
so  the  experiment  could  not  be  continued.  The  experiment  was 
not  begun  at  an  earlier  date  because  the  beets  were  gaining  in 
sugar.  The  results  appear  in  table  VIII.  The  first  seven  samples 
were  from  home  grown  seed. 


TABLE  VIII. 


VARIETY. 

BEET 

Degre’s 

Brix. 

S LOOSE 

Sugar 
in  juice 

;ned. 

Purity 

| BEETS 

Degre’s 

Brix. 

NOT  LO( 

Sugar 
in  juice 

>SENED 

Purity 

Bulteau’s  Desprez 

Tbir 

i3~y 

"soTo" 

16.2" 

13/T 

84.5 

F.  Desprez 

17.1 

14.8 

86. 5- 

17-1 

14.6. 

85.4 

Kleinwanzleben 

16.5 

13.8 

83.6 

16.7 

14.0 

83.8 

S DeGrand  imported  white  . 

15.5 

13.2 

85.1 

16.4 

13.8 

83.7 

Vilmorin 

15.6 

13.0 

83.3 

14.1 

11.2* 

79.4 

Imperial 

16.9 

13.9 

82.2 

15.6 

12.5 

80.1 

Red  Top 

15.3 

12.1 

79.1 

14.9 

11.8 

79.2 

Kleinwanzleben  

16.5 

12.9 

78.2 

19.0 

15.5 

81.6 

Knauer 

17.0 

13.5 

79.4 

16.9 

13.8 

81.7 

Desprez 

17.6 

14.0 

79.9 

17.0 

13.5 

79.4 

Vilmorin 

17.0 

13.5 

79.4 

17.7 

14.1 

79.6 

*Beets  very  scabby. 


The  condition  of  the  ground  was  quite  different  from  that  when 
Prof.  Nicholson  made  his  experiment,  as  our  ground  was  dry  and 
hard. 

Varieties. — An  examination  of  the  tables  will  show  results  ob- 
tained on  different  varieties.  European  growers  sometimes  recom- 
mend Vilmorin  for  clayey  land,  Knauer  for  sandy  land,  Kleinwan- 
zleben for  medium  land.  At  the  Station  farm  the  Kleinwanzleben 
seems  to  do  the  best,  all  things  considered.  But  with  a favorable 
season  we  can  grow  a good  crop  of  either  of  the  four  varieties, 


’’‘Nebraska  experiment  station.  Bulletin  No.  21,  pp.  19-21. 


39 


Home  grown  seed. — The  experiments  with  home  grown  seed*  was 
repeated  this  season  and  the  beets  raised  were  as  good  as  from 
foreign  seed. 

Samples  of  seed  grown  in  Nebraska  were  received  from  the  U. 
S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Chemical  Division,  too  late  for  use. 
They  will  be  planted  in  1894. 

Cost  per  acre  of  raising  beets  — The  areas  under  cultivation  in 
beets  in  this  state  have  been  too  small  to  permit  of  finding  the  cost 
per  acre  of  raising  beets  for  factory  use.  It  may  be  of  interest  to 
give  the  results  reported  from  sections  where  the  industry  is  already 
established.  These  results  are  for  the  year  1891  and  are  taken  from 


Bulletin  No.  21  of  the  Nebraska  experiment  station.  The  numbers 

in  the  table  were  obtained  from  both  farmers 

and  factories. 

TABLE  IX. 

STATE. 

- Cost  per 
ac  re. 

Yield  per 
acre,  tons. 

Nebraska, 

^ . , ,,,  ,■  < series  1 

Experiment  Station  < . 0 

F | series  2 

State  at  large 

Grand  Island 

....  29.14 

....  37.25 

31.50 

15.58 

21.70 

13.60 

Average 

33.06 

20.59* 

California, 

Watsonville 

Alvarado 

. ...  26  to  40 
....  35.00 

13.50 

15.00 

Average  

. . . . 35.00 

14.2 

Utah, 

T/plii  

39.46 

12  to  15 

*Long  tons. 

In  Utah  $2.50  per  acre  for  irrigation  is  included  in  the  cost,  and 

labor  was  paid  $1.50  per  day.  In  all  cases  the  beets  were  sold  for 
$5.00  per  ton. 

Future  work. — The  most  necessary  thing  to  be  undertaken  in  the 
future  investigation  of  this  problem  is  the  cultivation  of  one  acre 
plats  of  beets  by  farmers  in  different  parts  of  the  state  in  order 
that  they  may  become  familiar  with  the  work  required  to  raise 
beets  on  a large  scale  and  to  get  the  yield  and  cost  per  acre.  I un- 
derstand that  arrangements  were  made  last  fall  between  parties 

*3ee  Bulletin  No.  43,  Indiana  experiment  station,  p.  18. 


40 


interested  in  the  development  of  the  industry  and  100  farmers  to 
raise  one  acre  each,  using  seed  and  instruction  that  were  to  be 
furnished.  The  Experiment  Station  will  co-operate  in  this  work  by 
making  analyses  of  all  samples  sent  us,  provided  the  samples  are 
taken  according  to  directions  furnished  by  us,  and  are  accompanied 
by  a full  report  of  the  work. 

The  farmers  stand  in  no  danger  of  serious  loss  in  making  this 
experiment,  as  the  beets  are  of  high  value  as  a feeding  material 
for  cattle  (especially  milch  cows),  sheep  and  hogs. 

With  the  information  derived  from  this  work  the  farmer  will  be 
in  a better  position  to  make  contracts  for  raising  beets  for  the 
factory,  should  the  industry  be  established  in  the  state. 

The  results  obtained  in  the  state  during  the  past  five  seasons, 
including  as  they  do  three  of  the  most  unfavorable  seasons  on 
record,  lead  us  to  the  conclusion  that  the  sugar  beet  crop  is  a prom- 
ising one  to  add  to  our  present  crops,  and  ought  to  direct  the 
attention  of  capital  to  this  state,  as  a favorable  position  for 
investment  in  sugar  beet  factories. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


630.7IN2B  COOS 

RESEARCH  BULLETIN  LAFAYETTE 
49 1894 


3 0112  019549945 


